Ross McKee Foundation Announces 2023 Laureates And Laureate Final Concert

The Ross McKee Foundation has announced the laureates of its 26th Annual Ross McKee Piano Competition, Claire Chang (14), Tyler Chew (16), Ariel Chien (16) and Emma Lai (17). Each laureate receives a prize of $1,500 and participates in the Competition's final concert on December 17.

The Ross McKee Piano Competition celebrates the talents of young piano virtuosi in the San Francisco Bay Area. Contestants are selected for the semifinal round from recorded performances. This year, nine contestants between the ages of 13 and 17 advanced to the semifinals, where they played challenging programs that included the Competition's required repertoire, Labyrinth by local composer David Garner. From this group, the competition jury — noted pianists Dr. Carl Blake, Sarah Cahill and Elizabeth Roe — chose the four Laureates. They also awarded honorable mention to Peter Parra (13). David Garner chose Ariel Chien's performance of his work for the Composer's Choice award; Chien will perform Labyrinth at the final concert.

On December 17, the 2023 Laureates will present short programs to the general public in the Sol Joseph Recital Hall at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (50 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA 94103). Their programs and brief biographies can be found below. Tickets to the final performances are free, but reservations are recommended and can be made at rossmckee.org/tickets.

About the 2023 McKee Laureates

Emma Lai, age 17 is currently a senior at Alameda High School in Alameda, California. She is studying under Professor Elizabeth Schumann and has been playing piano for eleven years. Besides solo performances, she is also an avid chamber musician, playing in a variety of ensembles over the years. Lai also enjoys songwriting, music production, dancing, and video editing. Her Youtube channel can be found here, performance of Etudes No. 3 and 4 from John Corigliano's Etude Fantasy can be seen here.

At the laureate concert, Lai will play:

Corigliano Etude Fantasy, Etude No. 3 Fifths to Thirds, Etude No. 4 Ornaments

Haydn Piano Sonata in B minor, Hob. XVI/32, I. Allegro moderato, II. Menuet–Trio, III. Finale (Presto)

Ariel Chien, age 16, is a junior at Menlo-Atherton High School in Menlo Park, California. She began piano studies at the age of 8 with Megan Chen and continued with Daniel Cheng. She currently studies with Sandra Wright Shen at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Chien is a third-year scholarship recipient of the Chopin Foundation of the United States and has received top prizes in numerous piano competitions. She has performed at many prestigious events including NoonArts and Lectures, and actively engages in chamber music. She also volunteers as a piano instructor at Notelove and is a member of the leadership team of the Soundpost Youth Foundation. Beyond music, Chien enjoys playing badminton and table tennis and hanging out with her friends. Her YouTube channel can be found here, and a performance of Beethoven and the Liszt first piano concerto are here.

At the laureate concert, Chien will play:

Garner Labyrinth from Three Etudes

Chopin Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 35; I. Grave – Doppio movimento, II. Scherzo, III. Marche funèbre: Lento, IV. Finale: Presto

Tyler Chew, age 16, is a student of Annamarie McCarthy. He is a junior in the Piano department at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (RASOTA) under the guidance of Franz Zhao. Earlier this year, he received First Prize in the 2023 Charleston Contemporary Music Competition as well as Second Prize in the Bay Area Piano Competition. In addition to his piano studies, he is active in his school's chess club and enjoys playing video games. His performance of Rodion Shchedrin's Two Polyphonic Pieces can be seen here.

At the laureate concert, Chew will play:

Mozart Piano Sonata No. 15 in F major, K. 533, I. Allegro

Chopin Nocturne No. 3 in B major, Op. 9, No. 3

Shchedrin Two Polyphonic Pieces

Claire Chang, age 14, is a freshman at Henry M. Gunn High School and a pre-college student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is studying with Professor Corey McVicar. She won 1st place in the ENKOR International Music Competition, United States International Music Competition and United States Open Music Competition. She was a prizewinner in the Artciál International Piano Competition, LA International Liszt Competition with the Best Performance Award, the International Grande Music Competition, and LA Young Musician International Competition. She has performed in masterclasses with Garrick Ohlsson and Hieyon Choi. Her YouTube channel can be found here, and a performance of the first movement of Liszt's first piano concert is here.

At the laureate concert, Chang will play:

Bach Prelude and Fugue in F sharp major, BWV 858

Haydn Sonata in E Flat Major, Hob XVI 52, I. Allegro (Moderato)

Liszt Grandes Études de Paganini, S. 141, No. 6 in A Minor

The Ross McKee Piano Competition has been a signature project of the Ross McKee Foundation every year since 1997. Launched by the Foundation's first executive director John Cron, the competition has become one of the premiere piano competitions for young artists in the Bay Area. Over the past 25 years, seven hundred teenage pianists have applied to enter the competition, and, of them, more than 150 young artists have emerged as Laureates. They have received $150,000 in prize money as well as performance opportunities and professional-level recordings and videos of their performances. Many have gone on to careers as performers, educators, and faculty members at major music conservatories and universities. Their achievements inspire both younger piano students and the piano-loving audiences the Ross McKee Foundation serves.

The Ross McKee Foundation (www.rossmckee.org), a private nonprofit foundation committed to piano education and performance, has an impressive history of support for the piano culture of the Bay Area. Now in its 30th anniversary year, the Foundation celebrates the more than $2.5 million in grants it has awarded to hundreds of pianists and music organizations in the Bay Area Through its grants and projects, the Foundation has endeavored to realize the original mission that Ross McKee set forth: “to enrich our lives with beauty and understanding through the language of music.” Funding local arts presenters and organizations that produce concerts and commission new works for piano, sponsoring music education and piano lessons in schools, awarding scholarships to young pianists and composers, and even directly supporting individual local pianists through the difficult years of the pandemic — these are the ways in which the Ross McKee Foundation continues its efforts to enrich our lives with beauty and understanding.

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